How To Save The Airline Industry

(caveat lecter: this is a speculative, hypothetical note written by an amateur
gadfly --horsefly-- whom enjoys posting idiotic opinions about stuff he knows
not all that much about; but still likes to play lotto, bingo, twenty-five cent
roulette & kibbitz)

If I were king/ruler/dictator of the U.S.

The ailing segment of the airline industry would now be encouraged to
"collude."

By this I mean they must undertake certain mutually beneficial
"anti-competitive" cooperative measures.

They are manifestly not currently self-sustaining.

They have recently (since 9/11) gotten some subsidies from Congress, while some
of the largest companies are bankrupt or on the verge of it

Therefore, as King of the USA:

I would "virtually consolidate" United, Delta, U.S. Air and any other which is
collapsing financially

No airplane would be leaving a gate which is not (arbitrary percentage, subject
to revision) at least eighty-percent filled

It would be against my edict to have too damn many vacant seats

Thus, I am ad hoc virtually nationalizing-consolidating the failing companies

Let the accountants and logistics brains workout the details.

Next problem?

No airplane would be leaving a gate which is not (arbitrary percentage,
subject
to revision) at least eighty-percent filled


So you dont see revenue as a foctor at all.
They would simply give away seats for free to fill up to 80%

Now, if they didnt let planes leave until they had 10,000 USD of revenue
then maybe....

No airplane would be leaving a gate which is not (arbitrary percentage,
subject
to revision) at least eighty-percent filled


So you dont see revenue as a foctor at all.
They would simply give away seats for free to fill up to 80%

Now, if they didnt let planes leave until they had 10,000 USD of revenue
then maybe....

The next problem is that your solution wouldn't work since it is LOW
FARES not empty seats that is the problem. CO recently posted an
example of a completely full flight losing money as a result.


On 15 Sep 2004 12:45:39 GMT, (Robert Cohen)
wrote:

(caveat lecter: this is a speculative, hypothetical note written by an amateur
gadfly --horsefly-- whom enjoys posting idiotic opinions about stuff he knows
not all that much about; but still likes to play lotto, bingo, twenty-five cent
roulette & kibbitz)

If I were king/ruler/dictator of the U.S.

The ailing segment of the airline industry would now be encouraged to
"collude."

By this I mean they must undertake certain mutually beneficial
"anti-competitive" cooperative measures.

They are manifestly not currently self-sustaining.

They have recently (since 9/11) gotten some subsidies from Congress, while some
of the largest companies are bankrupt or on the verge of it

Therefore, as King of the USA:

I would "virtually consolidate" United, Delta, U.S. Air and any other which is
collapsing financially

No airplane would be leaving a gate which is not (arbitrary percentage, subject
to revision) at least eighty-percent filled

It would be against my edict to have too damn many vacant seats

Thus, I am ad hoc virtually nationalizing-consolidating the failing companies

Let the accountants and logistics brains workout the details.

Next problem?

The next problem is that your solution wouldn't work since it is LOW
FARES not empty seats that is the problem. CO recently posted an
example of a completely full flight losing money as a result.


On 15 Sep 2004 12:45:39 GMT, (Robert Cohen)
wrote:

(caveat lecter: this is a speculative, hypothetical note written by an amateur
gadfly --horsefly-- whom enjoys posting idiotic opinions about stuff he knows
not all that much about; but still likes to play lotto, bingo, twenty-five cent
roulette & kibbitz)

If I were king/ruler/dictator of the U.S.

The ailing segment of the airline industry would now be encouraged to
"collude."

By this I mean they must undertake certain mutually beneficial
"anti-competitive" cooperative measures.

They are manifestly not currently self-sustaining.

They have recently (since 9/11) gotten some subsidies from Congress, while some
of the largest companies are bankrupt or on the verge of it

Therefore, as King of the USA:

I would "virtually consolidate" United, Delta, U.S. Air and any other which is
collapsing financially

No airplane would be leaving a gate which is not (arbitrary percentage, subject
to revision) at least eighty-percent filled

It would be against my edict to have too damn many vacant seats

Thus, I am ad hoc virtually nationalizing-consolidating the failing companies

Let the accountants and logistics brains workout the details.

Next problem?

"Robert Cohen" wrote in message
...
(caveat lecter: this is a speculative, hypothetical note written by an
amateur
gadfly --horsefly-- whom enjoys posting idiotic opinions about stuff he
knows
not all that much about; but still likes to play lotto, bingo, twenty-five
cent
roulette & kibbitz)

If I were king/ruler/dictator of the U.S.


There is just one problem with your solution. Some airlines are profitable.
There is profit to be made in the industry, it's just that some companies
are so badly run they can't figure out how to do it. So essentially what
you are suggesting is rewarding failure, which is a bad idea. The airlines
either have to adapt or they can go out of business and be replaced with one
that can.

Matt

"Robert Cohen" wrote in message
...
(caveat lecter: this is a speculative, hypothetical note written by an
amateur
gadfly --horsefly-- whom enjoys posting idiotic opinions about stuff he
knows
not all that much about; but still likes to play lotto, bingo, twenty-five
cent
roulette & kibbitz)

If I were king/ruler/dictator of the U.S.


There is just one problem with your solution. Some airlines are profitable.
There is profit to be made in the industry, it's just that some companies
are so badly run they can't figure out how to do it. So essentially what
you are suggesting is rewarding failure, which is a bad idea. The airlines
either have to adapt or they can go out of business and be replaced with one
that can.

Matt

wrote in message
news
The next problem is that your solution wouldn't work since it is LOW
FARES not empty seats that is the problem. CO recently posted an
example of a completely full flight losing money as a result.

Do you have an URL for this? is it on their website?

wrote in message
news
The next problem is that your solution wouldn't work since it is LOW
FARES not empty seats that is the problem. CO recently posted an
example of a completely full flight losing money as a result.

Do you have an URL for this? is it on their website?

It would be against my edict to have too damn many vacant seats

There are no vacant seats any more. Flights are leaving full, it's
just that the people in the seats haven't paid enough for their
tickets to fund these carriers.

I don't think I've been on one flight in the USA that wasn't almost
100% full in the past two years.

Cheers,
Geoff Glave
Vancouver, Canada